By

Mohammed Musa Kirfi, PhD

STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT
PROCESSES:

  
Redefining The Pro cess Relevance o f Regulato ry Structures in Service D elivery

Federal University of Kashere, Gombe state, Nigeria

 
Outline
 Introduction
 Thematic Orientation
 Structures and Theory
 Policy Formulation, Implementation and Monitoring
Process
 Bridging the Perception Gap
 The principles, the Lead/the Position
 What should be the Order
 Conclusion
 Introduction

In its simplest sense, ‘Strategic Implementation

(SI)’ refers to a broad action that puts goals and
aspirations into effect and provides guidelines for
carrying out same. Hill (1993) defines ‘SI’ as ‘the
practical orientation of political influence,
determining and setting limits to what the
regulatory organization does’.

To be more precise, when a government takes a decision or
chooses a course of action in order to solve a broad social
problem and adopts a specific strategy or a combination, it
is known as strategic implementation (Anderson 1975).
Forms

Ex-post
 Ex-ante and
 monitoring
Thematic Orientation

In this presentation, the redefinition of the relevance of

regulatory structures is not in the context of
constitutional amendment per-se but redefinition by
adoption of enabling principles as a workable platform.
Through this, the paper believes strategic
implementation will mean problem solving hence a
serious deviation from the previous practice. Regulatory
structure, regardless of level, must prove more
responsive to the people via best practices.
The questions are:

 How successfully is NPA in the bid to strategically

implement the Concession and other related
policies/reforms?
 Has the same ushered in a regime of improved service
delivery cherished by clients and stakeholders?
 Are there needs for internal adjustments to redefine the
narrative?
 Inthe overall, has implementation been truly strategic
considering possible answers to the above cited questions?
Regulatory Structures and Theory
A number of structural dimensions
must be addressed in order to
comprehend fully how corporate
parameters typical of size, diversity
etc. affect the insulation of the
costs of economic management
from political forces.
 Policy Formulation, Implementation and
Monitoring Process

 Citedfrom the work of Ayuba, Tella and Mbaya

(2012), the public policy making process is an
integral part of Policy Formulation,
Implementation and Monitoring Process.
Egonmwan (1991) stated that policy making is a
sequential pattern of action involving a number
of functional categories of activities as follows:
 Policy Formulation, Implementation and
Monitoring Process(Cont`d)

 i) Policy formulation- this is done after the government

has acknowledged or identifies the existence of public
problems and the need to do something about it. Here,
policy makers need to take or decide on what course of
action to be done, when as well as how it could be done.
 ii) Implementation- this is the second stage, after a public
problem had been identified and made its way to the
policy agenda, and various options has been provided,
what remains is putting the decision into action or
practical terms.
 Policy Formulation, Implementation and
Monitoring Process(Cont`d)

 iii)Feedback and evaluation- After one and two points above

had been done; the next step is to assess the outcome of the
decision. The outcome comes in two forms, negative and
positive. Negative comes in a form of violence,
demonstrations, mob action etc. Example, the decision of the
federal government to withdraw oil subsidy or the outcome of
April, 2011 presidential general election. While, positive
comes in a form of solidarity, jubilations, commendation etc.
example, the general increase of federal civil servant salaries
taking thousand Naira minimum wage, Monetization etc.
Bridging the perception Gap

 Van Slyke (2013) plays the intellectual judge by

concluding that implementation is management. It is
managing policies and programs that are brand new,
those that are being modified, and those that are
replacing existing programs. Policy in all its forms often
comes to managers in clear, direct, and measurable
forms. But it can also come with conflicting mandates,
ambiguous directives, and measures that are not well
defined or all that observable.
Bridging the perception Gap (Cont`d)

There are many actors and institutions that

shape the formulation, funding and regulation
of policies and programs. These actors and
institutions also have a significant desire and
interest in shaping the implementation of
policy through the environment in which it
takes place and the tools noted in legislative
statutes that are to be used.
The Principles

Digressing from the widely known principles while

borrowing from the wisdom of Lawrence W.
Reed, this presentation amplifies the following
principles with the belief that so long as they
provide orientation to strategic implementation
systems, the results are surely bound to be not
only optimum but also capable of facilitating
greatest happiness of the greatest number
The Principles

In this direction, Reed`s Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy is considered as one full of
a lot of wisdom.
The seven principles are these:

Free
 people are not equal, and equal people are not free.

What
 belongs to you, you tend to take care of; what belongs to no one or everyone tends
to fall into disrepair.

Sound
 policy requires that we consider long-run effects and all people, not simply short-
run effects and a few people.

If
 you encourage something, you get more of it; if you discourage something, you get less
of it.
The Principles

 Nobody spends somebody else’s money as carefully as he spends his own.

 Government has nothing to give anybody except what it first takes from

 somebody, and a government that’s big enough to give you everything you
want is big enough to take away everything you’ve got.

 Liberty makes all the difference in the world.

 
The Lead/ the Position

Following the prescriptions indicated

above will boil down into policies that
combine to enhance service delivery
hence quality control, consumer
discipline and protection, budget
efficiency and total citizenry
satisfaction.
Th
en
:

 Goingby the current practices in advanced societies, the

government is run on the basis of New Public
Management and “not” Public Administration.
Megatrends and doctrinal principles combine to suggest
that citizens should be perceived as customers while
government should see itself as a service provider in a
competitive environment. Policies must be geared
towards this noble direction while implementation and
monitoring combine to ensure total compliance if quality
must characterize the outcome
What Should be the Order?

 The current drive requires every Ministry, Department or

Agency, especially the NPA to assume the position of
service provider. For delivery efficiency to acquire any
significance, the structures of government must play the
game in line with strategic implementation
unconventional principles. By this, both service provider
and consumer will occupy sensitive position in the
production and consumption equations with considerable
degree of efficiency and satisfaction respectively.
Brothers and Sisters